Dry Creek Trail

Dry Creek Trail is a 6.3 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Salt Lake City, UT that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible from April until October.

6.3 miles2130 feetLoop

birding

hiking

mountain biking

nature trips

walking

forest

views

wild flowers

From Foothill Blvd. and Sunnyside Avenue (800 South) travel north on Foothill Blvd. to the second traffic light (Wasatch Drive). Turn right onto Wasatch Drive and drive through the next traffic light (South Campus Drive) and continue north until Wasatch Drive deadends at North Campus Drive. Turn right (east) onto North Campus Drive and proceed east through the traffic light and soon after turn left (north) into the Jewish Community Center (JCC) parking lot (opposite the entrance to the University Medical Center). The JCC has graciously provided off-street parking in the east end of the JCC parking lot. Please limit your parking to the east end of the lot and don't abuse the privilege of this off-street parking. From the east end of the JCC parking lot, walk through a narrow gate at the north end of the power station, and proceed about 200 yards northeast past the power station and along the old service road to its U-turn at the mouth of Dry Canyon. At the U-turn a brown carsonite post with the BST logo marks the start of this segment of the BST.

This is a nice section of the BST the takes you back behind the hill with the "Block U", so you're a little more secluded from the city than most of the BST. As another review has noted, currently (summer 2016) there is no trail parking at the JCC. You could park at the hospital across the street though. Note that the route I'm currently seeing associated with this trail starts with Dry Creek, but most people would probably follow the BST up to where it makes the hairpin turn and up toward the avenues. The route shown here, into the drainage that forks left at 3/4 mile, is the S fork of Dry Creek and is the area where Elizabeth Smart was held captive. It quickly becomes less and less of a trail, and in spring to early summer will have water in the bottom (and a lot of brush and bugs). Up towards the head of the canyon the trail mostly disappears. The trail down the ridge to Van Cott is pretty fun, although it's certainly not the Dry Creek trail at that point :-)

Hardest phase was the steps at the very start. Beautiful view hiking between a pair of cliffs that bracket the trail. We usually keep going, turning west where the trail branches, and camp at an overlook that has a great city view.

It's a great trail...but be aware that there are signs EVERYWHERE at the JCC saying that the parking lot is NOT for trail use. It might be because part of the parking lot is under construction...but you might want to find somewhere else to park. And if you plan to hike this trail, be sure to pay attention because it is very popular with bikers. :)